Damn Those Eyes!

I reckon I have a pretty accurate ability when it comes to being able to judge a person's character instantaneously and on first impressions alone, and I don't think I've ever been wrong in my judgement. An individual says a lot without even talking, and I would never judge someone just on what they actually say, it's their facial expressions and body language which speak volumes. I find that the eyes in particular tell me what a person is like, especially if they're nasty, the eyes give it away so clearly. It's got to be said, I've seen total strangers in the street, caught their gaze, and been very frightened by what I've seen there. Many of you might know exactly what I mean, they have what you can only call "The eyes of a killer"! Whether they have killed, or only have the potential to kill is questionable, but certainly their eyes say that they're more than capable of doing so.

I probably lied when I said I don't judge people based on what they say, I do, but as a secondary objective. Rather than revealing what is hidden, as the face does, the voice (and what they actually say) is more indicative of how intelligent a person is, but can be deceptive, as an intelligent person can quite easily portay themselves as less intelligent than they really are on first meeting, if they think it could be advantageous in some way, later!

The reason for this waffling, in case you were wondering... well, I read in some newspaper yesterday, that some young lad had pitted his intuitive skills against several psychics (if I could find the article it would have taken up more of this post) and demonstrated more accurate results than they had. This young fella, had been teaching himself how to read body language, since he was a kid, and could infer shedloads, even from the most miniscule of signals. Apparently, the amount of information he could detect from a stranger, was phenomenal, and he made the psychics look like total frauds. I'm sure this guy will earn a lot more attention in the near future, so I may well come back to him then, whoever he is!

So You Think You're Royal?

The TV was so bad last night (have I said this before?), that I was just flicking through the channels when I found this show "So You Think You're Royal?", which of course was right up my street. A bit of genealogy, a bit of mystery, and of course the massive anti-climax when the people concerned realise that they're descended from mere peasantry after all. Such a disappointment for them, but of course they're on telly, so they have to appear to take it with good grace.

In this particular show, there were 2 cousins who thought they were descended from King Charles II and his mistress Nell Gwyn. Nell had 2 children by the King apparently, from whom are descended the Beauclair Dukes Of St.Albans. The family in this case had the unusual surname Sowerbutt and a Grandfather with a penchant for telling tall tales (proven by the fact that he managed to have 2 families on the go at the same time, without discovery).

Since the genealogical evidence was sketchy to say the least, some peerage expert suggested tracking down relatives to see if they had also heard the story of proposed royal descent, since the more of them who had been told the story, the more likely it would be that it was true. So off went the genealogist and tracked down 150 relatives (impressive researching). Sadly, apart from the 2 individuals in question, nobody else had ever heard the story, thereby proving that their Grandfather was a complete fibber.

I on the other hand, am obviously of Royal descent! Do I have proof? No, but my Grandmother's parents were Irish, so obviously I must have royal blood. At one time virtually everyone in Ireland had royal connections, and with surnames like Kane and Hagen (King Kane and King Hagen were sub-kings responsible for bearing the crown of the O'Neill High-King at his coronation) in the family, how can I fail not to be truly regal! I rest my case, no genealogy is required, and given that I've delved tentatively into the Irish records before, I would say little or no chance of finding any!

The Cult Of Celebrity!

Following on loosely from yesterday's post, I've been wondering about the danger posed to scientific progress from the Cult Of Celebrity, which seems to be gripping our once pioneering nation, formerly at the forefront of most scientific discoveries. You don't have to examine the attitudes of today's youth too closely to see what it is they aspire to. Where once exploration and adventure were the dreams of the young, unfortunately the modern child dreams of being famous for being famous, because where the term "celebrity" once referred to someone who was justifiably famous, now it has to come to signify an individual who has achieved fame merely by being thrust (entirely voluntarily) into the limelight, regardless of ability.

Once again I blame the scourge that is the reality show, in which I would include the likes of; X-Factor, Big Brother, American Idol etc. I could go on, but writing their actual names is sapping me of the will to live. The thirst for fame is unquenchable. Even when these non-entities have had their moment in the Sun, their 15 minutes of fame, it's not enough, they only want it more than ever. And, foolish TV execs give them more opprotunities to show us that they still exist. Notice how many ex-reality show contestants return to appear in Celebrity shows (thus indicating that they have indeed graduated to celebrity status), from ballroom dancing to ice-skating. These shows also provide a convenient platform on which jaded and fading stars can attempt to regain anything of their former glory.

Something clearly needs to be done to clarify the situation to the modern youth. Fame is not the be all and end all that they think it is, and for most, attempting to become famous will only end in bitter disappointment. The saddest part is that many of these people genuinely believe that they are talented, when clearly their talents lie elsewhere (if they actually have any. I'll bet there are thousands of individuals out there who have their hearts set on becoming famous when they have genuine skills that could be employed successfully elsewhere. But, their lust for adoration, the need to be noticed, blinkers them from real life. Wake up, it's a dream, get a real job, and do something worthwhile for yourself and for mankind!

The Golden Age Of Television!

Alright, you don't really need to know my age, however for the purpose of this post it's relevant. For several years now I've noticed a steady decline in the quality of television programmes. Whether TV is being deliberately dumbed-down to make us a nation of mindless morons, or it's just too much effort to make anything worth watching, I can't say for sure. Possibly, a mixture of both reasonings. The fact is, I look back on the halcyon days of televisual festing that myself and my generation enjoyed in the late 70's and early 80's, with gerat nostalgia.

Who can forget programmes like:

• Monkey
• The Saint
• Sapphire and Steel
• Tales Of the Unexpected
• The Professionals
• Duty Free
• Alas Smith & Jones

Those are but a few. Kids TV was equally fantastic, with Will O' The Wisp, Jamie and the Magic Torch, Bagpuss, Captain Pugwash and so on and so forth. However, what's truly missing from modern TV scheduling in particular is the Saturday night super line-up. When I was a kid, the whole family could sit down on Saturday night, expecting and usually getting an excellent evening's entertainment. Nowadays, it's all reality shows and fame hunting wannabe shows. It's bland, pointless, non-entertaining and frankly patronising.

So why do they get away with it? Well to be honest, I think people would sit and watch anything, so the fact that they watch reality shows should be no surprise. The latest Big Brother series is in a way ironic I reckon. They've filled a house with empty-headed imbeciles and empty-headed imbeciles quite happily sit for hours lapping up their non-sensical babble and pearls of wisdom, ie:

Liam mentions Romeo and Juliet.

Brian: "What's Romeo and Juliet? Ain't Romeo that geezer out of So Solid Crew?"

Liam: "No, Romeo and Juliet is a play by Shakespeare!"

Brian: "Who's Shakespeare?"

Liam "He's a famous playwright!"

Brian: "What? Somebody's famous for writing plays?"

Liam: "Yeah, everyone's heard of him!"

Brian: "I didn't really pay much attention at school!"

Personally, I would question whether Brian ever went to school, becaus in my recolletion, you had to do at least a couple Shakespeare plays in Secondary. That and Lord Of the Flies... unavoidable! To be fair, that conversation is slightly entertaining, but just think to yourself how amny people must have been watching that and thinking "Yeah, who the hell IS Shakespeare?" And that's the really sad part, what the hell are kids learning at school? Maybe if they showed some Shakespeare on the TV, kids would have a better idea who he was. However, I suspect that there's a much bigger can of worms to be opened, once you start probing the minds of young adults and comparing what they should know with what they actually do know. I suspect severe deficiencies in several departments! I'm 36 by the way!

The Origins Of Modern English!

Language, something most of us take for granted, it comes so easily when you're a child. Children are able to learn any language if introduced to it at a very early age. But there are so many languages in the modern world, so surely anyone who is bilingual would have a distinct advantage in the job market you would think. I've noticed as a UK national, that most other countries are way ahead of us when it comes to learning other languages. I've been abroad a few times and I've noticed that not only do a surprising amount of people talk in English as their second language, they do so surprisingly well.

So, where did this language of ours come from? Most of us will have heard that English is derived from Proto-Indo-European, but what does that mean? It's sugeested that a race of white people from the Caucus Mountains area (hence Caucasians) expanded out and reached the Indus Valley where they formed the Vedic culture. They then brought back that language to Europe.

The Celtic language was borne from Proto-Indo-European in 2 forms P-Celtic and Q-Celtic, as was Old English which was brought to the UK by Germanic tribes (Angles, Saxons and Jutes). As the Kings of England spoke English that language became widespread although probably intermingled with Celtic. The Viking incursions into Britain added many other words to our vocabulary, as did the Norman invasion. You'd be surprised at how many English words have a French origin. The final contributor was Latin, writers like Shakespeare and Marlowe found the English language prohibitive in scope so introduced many Latin words into their writing, which we still use to this day.

So modern English is really a hotch-potch of languages, but all from a common ancestor: Proto-Indo-European! The odd thing is, that English is changing. There are so many regional accents in England, that the traditional well-spoken English is becoming a rarity, with slang words continually polluting the word pool. Strangely enough, the best spoken English in the UK is in Inverness, up here in the North of Scotland, and Doric (the dialect I grew up with) is considered to be the closest thing to Old English still in existence. We use words like "nicht" and "brither", which are pronounced pretty much the same way as the Anglo-Saxons said them, betraying their Germanic origins. It's a funny old thing, language!

Rain Down On Me... From A Great Height!

Rain rain, nothing but rain, but don't worry! Only a fool wouldn't say that climate change was to blame, of course it's climate change. But is it man-made? Well that's another question isn't it. Vastly conflicting reports on that particular aspect of it. Anyhow, it's been pouring down here for several days now, and although we're OK where we're at, I suspect others (perhaps in Elgin) could be in for a bad time of it.

Over the last 10 years or so, each year has seen greater flooding here in the UK, than the previous. Of course, in a cosmic redressing of the balance, some poor sods will be suffering severe drought someplace. Nature is indeed mysterious.

Since the waether is so bad, I spent the day re-writing my CV. The most recent version was 2 years old and things have changed quite a lot for me in that time. On another note, my daughter's school sports were meant to be today. They were originally supposed to be last Friday, but demonstrating amazing foresight, they cancelled it because the grass was slightly damp. Well you could go bog snorkelling there now!

Apocalypto Now!

Last night we watched Apocalypto, and even though I knew it wasn't going be remotely historically accurate especially given Mel Gibson's track record rewriting history (possibly to suit his devout Catholic agenda), I was prepared to give it a chance. I'd like to see how he would have dealt with the Spanish conquest mind you.

All in all the story's pretty basic. The tribe belonging to the central character Jaguar Paw, get attacked (full on and brutally) by another more powerful tribe. He manges to hide his pregnant wife and kid in a deep pit then gets himself captured with the rest of them. Their captors take them off to be sacrificed in order to appease Kukulkan because there is drought, pestilence etc. By some seemingly divine intervention (you can imagine how this appealed to Gibson) Jaguar Paw manages to escape. His ex-captors badly want him dead, but he has to survive and get back to his wife and child before they die in the pit.

It's only at this point that the film really comes to life. He's being pursued relentlessly through the jungle, trying to survive and well... it's classic action. However, I doubt that this is a film you would want to watch repeatedly. My wife got a bit fed up with the subtitles, but I think that in that respect, Gibson got it right. American accents on native tribesmen just would have been awful. In other respects, it seems that every commonly known aspect of Mayan culture is rolled out to please the viewer. Probably attempting to enable us to relate to historical concepts we're already familiar with ie. blood sacrifice, their ball courts etc. The cheesiest part however was the arrival of the white man at the end, I just couldn't see the point of it. Still, worthwhile seeing, if only once!

European Constitution Or Fourth Reich?

So, Tony's done a deal on the revived European Constitution, and it only remains for Gordon Brown to ratify it ASAP (at least before anyone can examine the detail). What's more, Tony has allegedly secured agreement on Britain retaining all the powers we wanted to keep, so a referendum will no longer be necessary (he says!).

That's the official story anyway, but as a Eurosceptic, I doubt that there's much more than a thinly veiled bunch of double-dealing going on right there. Only last week it was said that the UK's desire to hold on to those key powers would potentially scupper the whole deal, if we insisted on it. Then it goes through without any complaints at all? So, what's changed? Obvious really, it's clearly been agreed that we can keep those powers, just until the signature dries. As soon as we've signed up to it, the fineprint will reveal that each right that we've retained will be slowly whittled away piece by piece, until we're powerless against the jackboots of the Eurocratic Army!

First up, Germany and France (probably Italy too) want to re-write the history books, that part about the World Wars, let's play those down for a start, or better still, remove them altogether. Genocide of the Jews, can't have that either, because let's face it, we thought we'd won the War, but no, that was just a battle, the real victors are about to emerge and take control of their empire, just as they originally intended.

The whole EU thing just stinks so badly. The only thing that will come out of bringing so many countries together is, when one of those countries realises it's getting a raw deal and wants out, the big guns will say "Too late, you signed up to it, try and get out and we'll crush you with a New Blitzkreig!" So then, every country will take their side, and you have another World War.... nice.

What's more, the Eurocrats are as corrupt as can be and refuse to allow any auditing into their financial double-dealings. Those who were caught flagrantly stealing billions of euros were pensioned off with a pat on the back... absolutely ridiculous. Believe me, the whole thing will end in tears, it can't fail to!

Wave Upon Wave Upon Wave!

I'm currently half-way through reading David Miles "The Tribes of Britain", and it's fascinating reading. I guess that it's particulalry tailored for me in the sense that I'm a keen genealogist as well as deeply intersted in history. Probably should have done a history degree, still might!

The book examines the inhabitation of the British Isles from pre-history right up until the modern day. What is truly fascinating, is just how wrong our ingrained perceptions of our own history are. For instance, the Roman invasion of Britain. It would not be uncommon for many British citizens living today, to suppose that they had some Roman ancestry, seeing how the Romans invaded Britain and ruled it for almost 400 years. Well that assumption would be mistaken, for the majority of the Roman army weren't Roman in the sense we would regard them to be. The majority of the army were legions from Northern France, Belgium, Spain and North Africa even. There were very few Italians in there.

Secondly, the Romans formed garrisons across the country, with some men undoubtedly taking local women for wives, but it's doubtful that men who were already married would have brought their families across with them. In all likelihood, recruits from British tribes would soon begin to form local garrisons, avoiding bringing more troops across from the continent where they were engaged in fierce fighting with the Germanic tribes.

The Norman invasion follows a similar pattern. While many individuals possess names of Norman origin, it is unlikely that they are descended from any of the knights who accompanied William the Conqueror to Britain. Those knights were aloof Frenchmen, the majority of whom married the daughters of their fellow knights, and kept it that way for centuries. They merely replaced the Anglo-Saxon Chieftains who ruled previously. Their input to the gene pool was minimal.

Even the Viking incursions into the British Isles, which occured sporadically over 2 centuries, but intensified towards the end left little impact genetically, even in the Scottish Isles, the DNA demonstrates only 25% of Scandinavian genes.

The fact is, that the majority of the British people are mainly descended from the original inhabitants of the British Isles, who were not even Celts as you would suppose, I'm talking about the original Neolithic and Iron Age inhabitants, who only adopted the Celtic customs and dress. Yes, even the English when tested demonstrated 80% DNA belonging to the original Brtish tribes. That other 20% has in all likelihood been brought in by foreign traders who settled in this land since the Norman invasion, particularly those from Flanders and Brabantia, who brought their much needed skills over here.

So, where does that leave us genetically? Does it really matter? Perhaps our most recent peaceful influxes from overseas will have a much greater impact than anything that's gone before. It's getting to the point, here at least in NE Scotland, where the local people may soon be a minority. You might think I'm joking, I'm not, and at the risk of sounding xenophobic, I don't think this country can handle the number of immigrants coming in if it's sustained at present levels. It will reach a tipping point! And when it does, I'll blog it!

A Brief History Of Time!

Today, as I'm feeling slightly better, I'd like to take a look at something which affects us all greatly. We can never get enough of it, we're always running out of it, although we can't see, smell, taste, hear, or touch it, and yet every single thing we do depends entirely upon it. I am of course talking about... Time!

What is time then? I don't have much, so I'd better get on with it. Time is a device we created to measure the passage of the seasons. The first measurements of time were probably developed around the same time as neolithic people began to experiment with agriculture. It's widely considered that the Neolithic stone circle builders were creating gigantic measuring devices, aligned to the Solstices, which would allow them to plot accurately the correct times for sowing their crops.

But, since time is a subjective matter, merely our mapping of numbers to the Earth's rotation and its cycle around the Sun, what if we were to be removed from time? That is to say, plunged into an environment where the passage of time could not be measured. And, what if our theories about time are wrong? If time is not a constant at all!

What got me thinking more carefully about time, was some material I stumbled across on the Net, a year or two back, regarding the Serpo Project. It's the type of material most people would disregard off-hand as a hoax, but I'm open-minded, so I read through it. The basic premise was that alien technology was recovered around the time of the Roswell incident, of which, certain equipment allowed NASA to make contact with an alien race. An exchange program was set up and a dozen Earth astronauts travelled to an alien planet known to us as Zeta Reticuli. The crew members all kept separate diaries of their stay there. With me so far? I know, sounds far-fetched doesn't it?

The really interesting bit for me was the obssession with time that emerges from the "diary entries". They report that the planet is a binary star, that is, it has 2 suns, and because of this time behaves bizzarely. The astronauts lose track of time altogether and cannot adjust to the clock-cycle used by the natives (Ebens). If you have some spare time, I would recommend you read through some of that material, especially if you're a Sci-Fi fan. It really is like something out of Star Trek (with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy of course... always)!

Just What the Doctor Ordered!

No worldly wisdom form me today, because I'm feeling like shit. I've had a really bad head cold for four days and everyday I've been hoping it would improve, but it's only got worse. So this morning when I woke up, I started coughing and had agonising pains in my chest, so I thought "enough's enough, I'm going to make a Doctor's appointment!" In Buckie, you can see a minor ailments nurse instead of a Doctor (if you're not dying), who can prescribe antibiotics, precisely what I was needing. So, I have a chest infection as it turns out, and the nurse gave me Amoxicillin.

To compound my misery, it's raining heavily and it's fairly cold as well. Welcome to British Summertime. I'll tell you what, I've perceived a noticeable change in the seasons over the last few years, climate change is happening, whether it's man-made or naturally occuring (probably both). We used to get a good foot of snow here in Winter, and usually just before Christmas. Now we only get some very light snowfall in Feb/March. Summers are becoming wetter too, we used to get nice long, hot, dry summers and rain and wind in April/May and Sept/Oct, but now it's just all over the place with very short intense hot spells.

Fortunately for me, I'm keeping my spirits up by thinking about our impending family holiday on the Venetian Riviera. It's going to be brilliant, can't wait!

Would the Real King Arthur Please Stand Up!

Who was King Arthur? Where did he live? Was he even real? All valid questions, and hotly disputed ones at that. While the English and Welsh have continually claimed Arthur as their own, the only historical Arthur of the time was Scottish. If this is indeed the personage that the tales all point back to, then us Scots ought to feel hard done by (we do anyhow), because so many English Kings have used the story of Arthur, King of the Britons in an English context, as fabricated by Geoffrey of Monmouth, as giving them precendent to rule over the Scots as overlords.

The real Athur was most likely the son of King Aidan of the Scots, who had crossed into Scotland from Northern Ireland and established a kingdom in Argyll. The Scots would later supplant the native Picts, and on their arrival in Scotland would have had the Picts and Britons as their near neighbours. All of these factions were to unite to fight against a common enemy, the Saxons, who were constantly pressing Northwards, particularly against the Britons, who found themselves in a dangerous buffer zone across central and lowland Scotland. Arthur was a prominent figure in the ensuing battle, possibly leading the federation of Kings into battle, and while there is little historical record of the man, perhaps the vigour and bravery he displayed before his death in that battle, earned him a reputation which lasted for centuries.

So, we can see how history has again been perverted for propaganda. King Arthur actually fought against the English, not for them. The Britons were later driven out of their Scottish kingdom and formed a new kingdom in Wales, which is why legends of King Arthur persisted there. The Romans had built a fort at Camelon or Camelot, near the Antonine Wall, close to Falkirk, and it was most likely from there that Arthur led his men out against the Saxons. To think of the number of visitors to Tintagel Castle, who have no idea who Arthur really was. If anyone wants to read a truly detailed and wonderful explanation of Arthur's Scottish origins, then there is a free book: Arthurius - Quest For Camelot by David F. Carroll, available for download online. It's an excellent read and clarifies the matter far more concisely than I could in these few paragraphs!

Roman Destruction Of the Druids!

The Roman invasion and conquer of Britain (except for us tenacious Scots) was to all extents a peaceful invasion. Many of the tribes had already established contact with Rome, and several deposed chieftains had actively encouraged Claudius to embark on the venture. However, Rome was not concerned with tribal quarrels, but with the expansion of the Catuvellauni, which had jeopardised and in many cases extinguished lucrative trade routes between Rome and Britain.

I don't want to discuss the details of the Roman invasion here, everyone familiar with the history of that period will be well aware of the tactics used by the Romans, they forced chieftains to pledge their loyalty, then imposed crippling taxes upon the local populace. Dissenters were brutally crushed and any survivors would be sent as slaves to Rome, there to be sold.

I want to look at a specific area of the Roman expansion across Northern Europe, particularly Gaul and Britain. For some reason, the Romans were determined to annihilate the druids. The reasons for this extermination are not clear and history only informs us that it was the druidical practise of human sacrifice which so appalled the Romans, a practice which they themselves had once been partial to. Perhaps it's my suspicious mind, but I get the impression that there are far deeper issues involved in the reasoning behind the purge.

The annals of history don't tell us much about what it was the Druids did, they were not allowed to write their secrets, but we do know that training took up to 20 years, and may have involved learning in astronomy, astrology, herbology, medicine, and any other number of sciences which had a basis in nature, although some or all of these may have been regarded as magical arts by those who were not initiated.

Is it possible that the Romans feared the power of these men? Or was it the sway the Druids held over the people that drove the Romans to dispose of them? After all, cut off the head and the body no longer poses a threat. After the last stand of the Druids at Anglesey in 60AD, they no longer remained a force to be reckoned with. They may have possessed knowledge or secrets which died with them, we'll never know, and Britain became a civilized nation, apart from us Scots!

Unlocking the Templar Secret!

Any source on the Knights Templar would tell you that in all likelihood, the Knights Templar possessed some secret the magnitude of which was terrifying both to the Church and to Kings. There is no historical record of the existence of this "secret", but if you read between the lines of history, a secret plainly existed. The mere fact that they were permitted to operate outside of Papal jurisdcition ought to be enough to indicate that they had some powerful hold over the Church, but they were made exempt from all interdicts and their properties and revenues were made exempt from taxation.

Of course, historians could suggest that because of the order's noble cause and intentions, such entitlements could be explained. However, no other order ever received the generous accords handed to the Knights Templar, and the origins of the Knight Templar are most mysterious. The original 9 members of the order all held family connections with each other and spent several years camped out in what was formerly King Solomon's stables. There is a great deal to suggest that these men were directly descended from Jesus and that their families had waited a long time for their chance to return to Jerusalem. They may well have been looking for a specific item there. Much of the treasure (both types: of monetary value, and of sacred value) of the Jews had been hidden under the Temple Mount after the failure of the Jewish rebellion against the Romans. That the Knights excavated there is beyond question, what they found is a mystery.

However, after this initial period, as the Order decided to expand, they gained wealth and power at a phenomenal rate. Their prestige was enormous, but in real terms, they hadn't actually done anything visibly worthwhile up to that point. The Knights would go on to fight many valiant battles, although eventually losing the Holy Land, but I suspect that the later feats of the order were of little importance, as the order was only ever created as a front to gain access to the Temple Mount.

So what might the Knights have discovered? We can only speculate (and hundreds of books have), but whatever it was, had the power to rock Christianity to the core. We could assume, that they had been looking for conclusive proof that Jesus had married Mary Magdalene and had children with her (there is plenty evidence to support that idea, The Da Vinci Code is just the tip of the Iceberg). It is wuite possible, that the men who formed the initial group of knights were all directly descended from Jesus, and they knew it. Their families had been waiting hundreds of years to be able to return to Jerusalem and collect the evidence. They knew what the evidence consisted of and they knew fairly accurately where it was to be found.

But the story of the Knights Templar is just mystery upon mystery. If they then acquired this item or items, they must surely have threatened the church with it, in order to obtain the gratuitous liberties, which they did. But, I don't for one minute believe that the expansion of the order was their ultimate goal. Either they had a secondary goal dependant on achieving the first, or the discovery that they had made, had created this new goal. And this goal, whatever it was, required the powers granted by the church. This is a subject I may very well return to in the future!

Ticket to Ride!

Well, our tickets for Lido di Jesolo came through today and we can't wait to get out there, although we still have a while to go yet, but the excitement is building rapidly. 15km of beach right there, what more can you say?

I've been told the local mosquito population are quite ferocious, but I'm not going to let that concern me too much, they seem to go for certain people rather than others, and I've decided that I'm not their type.

I've also read on the net, that you can travel straight into Venice from Lido di Jesolo, by boat, which we're really looking forward to doing, then getting the "Vaporetto" along the Grand Canal. The only drawback being that there's just so many things we want to see in Venice, a single trip is unlikely to be sufficient.

One concern I have is with an issue we just don't have here in the UK. Our hotel is going to have a waiter service in the evenings, and as with dining out while there, I'm uncertain as to the Italian perspective on tipping. Do Italian waiters expect to be tipped, and if so, how much? I know it's something they go for in the US and on the continent, but we just don't do it here in the UK. If anyone knows what the story is, please post a comment to let me know!

Did Mayans Anticipate Pole-shift?

Today, my bother and I were discussing the impending pole-shift which according to many scientists is imminent. Analysis has shown that an event of this type occurs roughly every quarter million years and that at present the Earth's magnetic field is fading fast, suggesting that it's already happening.

Other than having to deal with North becoming South and vice versa, a flipping of the magnetic field could have far more catastrophic effects for mankind, but would it be more dangerous than George Bush? Now there's a question! The magnetic field surrounding the Earth protects us from the radioactive rays emanating from the Sun. Exposure to those rays could at best leave us quite burned, at worst, wipe us out potentially.

So, what can we do about it? Absolutely nothing, that's what! We don't have the technology to deal with a global catastrophe, we can barely deal with localised disasters. Doomsayers will no doubt talk about Nostradamus who prophesied whatever you want him to have, but more significantly the Mayan calendar which predicted the World's end on Sunday, December 23rd 2012. Ah well, all good things come to an end! What am I saying? We've made a right arse of this planet! Maybe next time we'll do better!

Moses Rewrites History to Forge A Nation!

I had an interesting conversation with a family member the day before last. No names! It was one of those conversations where neither side will ever see the others viewpoint, because we were discussing a religious matter. A matter where I'm always sceptical, and discussing the subject with someone who has "faith" is pretty pointless, but I seem to enjoy sowing the seeds of doubt, where I can. There's no logic in faith, and I'm a logical person. It strikes me that fervent religious beliefs are associated with distinct irrationality, and there's nothing worse than people who are completely irrational.

Anyway, I digress, the subject was simple enough, the validity of the Bible and in this instance the Old Testament. I put forward the assertion (which seems as plain as day to me) that the Jews were simply a nomadic people in former times, shepherds mainly, with no cultural identity or history. I indicated, that Moses who had found himself in a powerful position in Egypt, had sought to unite the Jews, but in order to do so, it was required that they have some sort of heritage to claim. His position within the Egyptian Royal family allowed him to access the massive library at Alexandria, where he gathered up fragments of history from various ancient cultures, such as the Sumerians, and set about drafting a history of the Jews.

Next up, on liberating the captive Jews of Egypt, he had to find a homeland for them, Canaan sounded like a good bet. God ordered the Jews to kill everyone in their way, all those people who were occupying the land that belonged to them by divine right. Shame, nothing's changed in 3000 odd years has it?

So, the outcome of this assertion? Well, apparently I'll change my mind when I'm dangling over the flames. I don't think so, life's for living. I'm not the one obssessed with the end of the World, hellfire and brimstone, and so forth. This isn't the Middle Ages anymore, I though most civilized people had realised that that crap was only a tool employed by the Church to keep the masses at bay! Seems like so many people still haven't been raised from their native ignorant darkness!

Don't Save Me, Save Yourself!

How many times have you heard it, "You need to be Saved!" or "You have to let Jesus into your heart!" or something along those lines. I've heard it so many times. Well, you know what, don't worry about me, my conscience is clear. The only people who believe in being saved, are those who are looking for some sort of backdoor into heaven. They've done bad stuff in the past, then with one stroke it's all forgotten about and the way ahead is clear. There are of course those who buy into the idea because they're easily led by stronger personalities, weak willed people, of whom there are so many.

Well, my ideas of what comes after don't require any priests churches or self-appointed zealots to show me the way. I concur with the beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, which Buddhist philosophy is also akin to. On the day of judgement I expect to stand upon the scales of justice, look back on my life and decide whether I'm worthy. You see how that works, there is no way of erasing wht you've done, what's done is done, accept it! You always had a choice between right and wrong, and if you chose to follow the wrong path, then I'm afraid no-one can save you.

Christianity provides such a convenient system, that's why ex-cons frequently seek refuge in religion, not because they've found God, not because they're remorseful, but because those people tell them that they can wipe the slate clean for them, and once accepted, those same people will tell you how that ex-con is a good person really, they were possessed by demons or something when they did the bad stuff. Sure... It's not demons, it's DNA. Not only DNA, but Materialism as well. Get the combination right, and you find people willing to do anything to get what they want, including being saved if necessary!

Eco-friendly Travel In the 21st Century!

The car has always been a must have luxury since the very first model hit the roads... and yet I continually find myself asking, why? My current sardine tin with wheels is a 1997 Vauxhall Vectra 1.8 LS, which I've had for just over 3 years and I've replaced virtually every part of it. Today, with my father's assistance, I had to replace the petrol tank. It took us from 9:30am till after 8pm, because you can't simply remove the petrol tank, first the exhaust has to come off, then the suspension has to be dropped.

Surely, in the 21st Century, a better mode of transport can be devised. Ideally, I want to be able to step into a pod outside my front gate and instantly reappear at the location of my choice, because:

• Travelling takes too long
• Travelling is uncomfortable
• Travelling alone is boring
• Travelling with others is annoying
• Cars are unreliable, costly and non-eco-friendly
• Roads are unreliable, costly and un-eco-friendly

They should scrap cars altogether and introduce a new form of transport, something that's free, green, fast and comfortable. I'm sure it could be done, and I'm sure I know why it won't be done, because the greater good doesn't interest oil companies or the government, only money interests them, and their eco-friendly pretence is so transparent. For starters, any form of free or cheap energy will mean a loss in income for oil companies, that's not going to happen. Any form of free or cheap energy will mean a loss in income for the goverment, from the huge amount they gather from both crude oil and at the pumps. Not going to happen. They call for cheaper and cleaner fuels, then tell us we'll have to pay more for that, it's ridiculous. Aeroplanes are bad for the planet, but if you give us more money, that should fix the problem.

I'll Have A Pizza That Francesco!

So, yesterday I discovered, and today confirmed, that not only have I passed my degree in Computer Science, but I have also achieved a distinction! It took a lot of hard work, and after the first semester, when I told our Course Leader that a distinction was what I was aiming for, he said that that it would be next to impossible. But, I knew that I could do it if I worked hard enough, and I feel more than vindicated in saying so, now that I have. I'm not sure what it means in real terms, other than indicating I'm slightly superior mentally (heh), don't know if I'll get an award to show that achievement or whatever.

Well, Hot Fuzz is out on dvd today, so that's what I'll be watching tonight. I have been (reliably? not sure about that!) informed that it's much better than Shaun Of the Dead, which I found fairly amusing, but I can see how it might not be so well appreciated beyond the shores of this Isle we call Brittania!

This morning we took a drive up to Inverness to acquire some Summer clothing, for our impending holiday in Lido di Jesolo. The kids are very excited about the prospect, as am I, having visted Northern Italy as a 10 year old, I can't wait for my return visit, and I'm especially looking forward to visiting Venice, even if it's just for a day! Ever since I watched Francesco da Mosto in "Italy, Head to Toe", I've been itching to visit Venice. It's great to see someone so passionate about their culture. Well, I must admit that Tomb Raider 2 has also inspired me to visit, but I hope not to be chased across the Rialto by Marco Bartoli's henchmen with their cudgels and Doberman Pinchers!

This Spartan Existence!

Better late than never I suppose, I finally saw 300 last night. I've been meaning to catch it for a while, but other things always seemed to get in the way. It was a bit slow in getting started, but when the battle scenes finally came, they were well worth it. I don't usually appreciate historic license, such as Mel Gibson often resorts to (Braveheart and The Patriot. Not to mention The Passion Of the Christ and Apocalypto), but in the case of 300 it merely added to the stunning visual banquet on offer. For the most part anyway, the central theme did run true to the historic narration.

I've often stated in the past, how I believe that every myth has at least a germ of truth in it, and modern people would rationalise the events of the Battle of Thermopylae and suppose that historians always exaggerated figures to lend greater credence to events, but there is little doubt that the battle happened, and pretty much as shown in the film (one would hope).

But, as I write this I see from some reviews that 300 hasn't been so warmly welcomed in the Middle-East, particularly by Iranians, in what was formerly Persia, who think the film is propaganda for action against them by the Americans. For me the film shouldn't be taken in a modern context, other than demonstrating that death is better than the loss of freedom, and in that respect it's us British and American citizens who are presently being subjugated by the constant withering away of our civil liberties. In the War On Terror, everyone must make a sacrifice for the New World Order!

The Science Of the Dead!

A year ago or so, I was watching a documentary on TV, which really made me stop and think at the time, and since I'm harking back to it now, I'm obviously still thinking about it. The subject matter discussed the personalities the likes of: Alexander Graham Bell, Guglielmo Marconi, Thomas Edison, John Logie Baird and many others besides, and seemed to suggest that although each of them had invented devices which we take for granted nowadays, their reasons for doing so were quite different to those which we now put them!

It was suggested that each of these esteemed scientists and many of their peers and predecessors were obsessed with making contact with the dead, or rather capturing the voices of the dead, and that each one of them believed that the devices they had designed might enable them to achieve that end.

You see, science never really ever achieves the ends for which it is intended, and most great discoveries are either accidental or coincidental, and often scientific research and design travel under the guise of something else, such as Bell's insistence that he was working on a device to aid the deaf. That wasn't what he was doing at all, but nobody would have funded his research had they known his true intentions. And, the outcome of his work was neither what he had hoped for, or indeed what he had claimed to be working towards. Nevertheless, where would we be without the phone, eh?

Just One Cornetto... Give It To Me!

Good news all round. Finally managed to get a holiday booked for July, and we're heading for Lido de Jesolo in Italy, for 2 weeks. Just the small matter of getting to Manchester Airport first, quite a journey. We looked at flying internally from Aberdeen to Manchester, but the cost of that was ridiculous, so we will be going via 3 trains, with an overnight stay at a hotel at Manchester Airport, on the way down and the way back. Not ideal, but from a simple economic viewpoint, in our case, essential!

The location is ideal really as we will be able to take day trips to Venice, Verona, Florence and Lake Garda, we'll have the beach if we want it, and a Water Park nearby I believe, always an essential on holiday! I believe that my final coursework and exam results are imminent also, as I've been reliably informed that, the examination board met yesterday. Fingers crossed I get the right results, or I'll have to rethink the whole rest of my life!

The Problems with the Crucifixion!

There are several issues I have with the Crucifixion story. Don't get me wrong, I'm not disputing it happened, it's just that certain key elements of the story don't add up, and any sort of minor investigation into the historical background of the event will quickly reveal what is wrong with the story, as it has come down to us.

The only problem in answering those key questions through a historical examination, is that those people who truly believe that Jesus died on the cross, to save us from our sins, don't want to know about anything other than what it says in the Bible. For them , the Bible is unassailable. They don't even care that most of it was probably concocted from fragments of stories more than a hundred years after the event, and that ever since it has been censored, edited, cut to ribbons and altered to suit various political and doctrinal agendas.

So, you ask, what problems do I have with the Crucifixion story, as a "rational" individaul capable of examining the story objectively. Well, if we rule out the suggestion that Jesus was the Son of God, and examine his situation as though he were a mere mortal man, then the issues become obvious:

• Why did Jesus die so quickly on the cross, when usually it took days to die?
• Why did Jesus appear to die immediately after having his lips soaked by the sponge containing vinegar, was it perhaps some sort of knock-out drug used instead?
• Why did blood pour from the wound in Jesus side, inflicted by a Roman soldier? Had he really been dead, he would not have bled so easily!
• Why was Jesus body taken down so quickly? Usually the body would have been left for a significant period of time, before removal from the cross.

The answers are not immediately apparent, but can be deduced quite easily. Firstly, crucifixions were public events, and the crucifxion of Jesus was no exception, only it took place in a private garden owned by Joseph of Arimathea, and any spectators were at some distance from the event.

Secondly, the Passover was used as a pretext for taking down the body of Jesus, and as such he had to appear to die quickly. The usual practice was to leave the condemned man on the cross until his chest began to collapse from supporting his own weight, at which point the knees would have been smashed, to bring a swift conclusion to the suffering. However, we can clearly see that it wasn't intended that Jesus should suffer such a fate, so his apparent death had to be brought on prematurely. Thus the application of the sponge. There were plenty drugs found naturally in Israel at that time, which when applied correctly could slow down someones heart-rate significantly enough to cause them to appear to be dead, and it seems that that is what happened. The bleeding from the spear wound suggests that he was quite alive as he was taken down and hurried to his tomb, where we can assume he was attended to throughout the night.

So why would such an event be orchestrated in the first place? Well, Jesus appeared to die a martyrs death and be resurrected. He's looking pretty good so far. He gets to leave all his trouble behind and head for pastures new, presumably India. The Romans didn't care about Jesus, but he had some powerful friends who were able to direct the full course of events. Presumably, Pontius Pilate was aware of what was to happen, his only dicatate being that Jesus disappears forever, and that everyone believes him to be dead. Perhaps Jesus wanted to appear before the people like an angel risen from the dead, but was so prohibited by the Romans that he was left with no choice but to leave, otherwise, next time it would be for real!

Foucault's Key To the Templars Tribal Legacy!

Did I tell you already? I'm not sure... I'm reading Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. I'm actually almost at the end of it. As usual, I have been surprised by Eco's literary ability, he really demonstrates great depth of characterisation in his novels. His background research is also meticulous, as is his ability to tie seemingly unrelated subjects together with great ease.

Bizzarely enough, as you may have noticed, I have a slight interest in the Knights Templar, among other subjects, but I hadn't realised this book would focus on them to such an extent, so I have been pleasantly surprised. It actually deals with just about every secret or open society, you can think of. Add in a splash of European History and some dazzling characters, and you have a wonderful story. I hope the ending is going to be everything it's building up to be, not like "The Island Of the Day Before", which although superbly written, had a rather anti-climax of an ending.

So now I have another four books remaining to be read, the remainder of my literary purchases from during College time. I wasn't able to read them then, because the workload was just far too intense. Anyone who says their Degree was easy, is either:

1. A Liar
2. Barking Mad
3. Stephen Hawkings Love-child

I'm none of those unfortunately, so I had to work my ass off. These are the booking awaiting a read from my dusty bookcase:

• The Tribes Of Britain by David Miles
• Turning the Hiram Key by Robert Lomas
• The Tower by Valerio Massimo Mandredi
• The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry

Seems eclectic at first glance, but when I look again at the list I can see a common thread, but perhaps that's just my mindset right now from reading Foucault's Pendulum!

The New Adventures Of Tintin!

I know it's not entirely new news, as I heard about it a couple weeks back, or rather read it on Digg, but for anyone who still hasn't heard the news, Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are going to be making a trilogy of films based on the adventures of Tintin, including one together.

Now, I don't know how anyone else feels about this, but personally, I have grave reservations. Allegedly, the films will be in a format similar to Polar Express, presumably so they can have a host of celebrities do character voices. My main reservation is that they're going to Americanise it, which would surely be tragic and completely ruin it. Secondly, are they going to base the films on the original books? and, if not, who's going to write the screenplays? Are they going to set in in the same time period, or bring it up to date? Because if the do, it will suck!

There are so many things they could do to inadvertently destroy it, and I can't help thinking that anyone who grew up reading the books and watching the cartoon series, may well be bitterly disappointed with the outcome. I remember as a child, hiring out The Black Island, from the library, and I thought it was superbly written. Of course, as an adult, I can see that it was slightly ridiculous and portayed a stereotypical Scotland rather than the real Scotland, but by God it was a fun read for a child!

So, fingers crossed they do the right thing, or else they'll have legions of closet Tintin fans to answer to!

The Ghost In the Machine!

So, the second part of the double-header as promised, detailing my experience with the supernatural, although as with my UFO sightings, I never actually saw a ghost, although I do believe it made its presence very clear to me, as I shall recount to you now.

Around the year 2000, I think it was, I was working in a very large sawmill, operating some gargantuan machine which spewed out boards at an alarming rate. As, everything was automated, there were just myself and an older guy working in that area of the mill. That part of the mill had been built just the year previous, maybe 2 years earlier, and during construction, a Swedish guy, who had been overseeing the operation was inadvertently killed by a rather large vehicle. The details of which are rather grisly and slightly dubious, so I won't divulge them here.

Anyhow, I was working away there one day, it was a nice sunny day, I was fairly relaxed I guess, I think it was a Friday, so the week was almost over. Next thing, I sensed someone running up behind me, and I thought they were going to grab the back of my neck. I suspected it was the fork-lift driver who worked at the end of our line, as he often came in with new orders or to realy some problem with the conveyor, and that was the sort of thing he'd do. Because, the machinery was elevated, about 7 feet off the ground we were working on this wooden flooring, and so I felt the vibrations as though someone was running up behind me, and at the same time, I had looked down and saw a shadow coming up from behind me.

So, given all of those indications that I was about to be grabbed from behind (I even felt as though I was grabbed, afterwards), you can imagine the surprise I got when I turned around and there was nobody there. I got a real scare. I went to see "Anon" who worked with me, but was at the far end of the machine, and at that time out of sight. I said to him, quite seriously, "I think this place is haunted!" He was a fairly sober guy, so I thought he would chide me and tell me not to be ridiculous, but au contraire. He replied "Yes, but he's a friendly ghost, he likes to knock things over for a laugh, he doesn't mean any harm!"

I've never forgotten that encounter and frequently wonder if the Swedish guy was trying to get my attention, as it seemed that he was "allegedly" held partially responsible for his own death, when rumours to the contrary suggested that, he was probably entirely blameless. No further comment!

Close Encounters of My Kind!

Alright, this is the first part of a double-header about UFOs and Ghosts, or more precisely my limited experience with both of those! Firstly, I've had perhaps 3 experiences in my life which you might consider encounters with UFOs, although no single encounter could be strictly defined as a UFO encounter, because on each occasion all I saw was a light. Well, this is Scotland and usually it's dark, so even lights can possess strange properties.

The first encounter was, when myself and a few mates went for a wander in the countryside in late October aged 18-19, pitch dark, and probably with a drink in. We were heading into the hills (walking) near Arradoul, when we saw a light (seemingly) in a nearby field. Initally it looked as though it was a bicycle light, but then the light stopped and started shining up into some nearby trees. Very odd we thought, and as we discussed it, the light suddenly turend and shone towards us. The next thing this light, and whatever object it was attached to, took off, up towards the hills, and at a fair speed too, ceratinly faster than a bike could go. Our puzzlement only increased when we moved closer to where we had first seen the light, and realised it was a newly ploughed field, all the fields there had been ploughed, and there was no road, yet the light had moved across the field with no wobbling motion, which indicated to us, that whatever the object with the light had been, it couldn't have been on the ground, or it would have been alll over the place.

That first encounter as odd as it was, in no way prepared me for the other 2 encounters I had, almost exactly a year apart from each other. In my early 20's ,say around 1995, I was working at a sawmill in the Woods near Fochabers, and each morning I had to get off the bus and walk about a mile through the woods and a farmyard to get there (in the very dark, with big cats wandering around (but, that's for another time)). So, on this morning, I get to the farmyard and strangely (more exciting than scary), there was what appeared to be a massive spotlight shining down from above this row of trees, near the stream (like those ones you see in war films, that bright). The light was shing here and there and then it shone on me, so I just stood looking at it for a while, it was very close, and there was absolute silence. Then, just like that it disappeared, without a sound.

Then, perhaps a year to the day later ( I surmise), almost the same thing again, except this time I arrived at the sawmill, to see a light (identical to the first) panning around by the stream, about 50 yards from the mill. I wanted to go closer, but I couldn't do it, because I realised that whatever it was I was looking at, it was definitely unnatural. As before, the light disappeared in an instant. I later thought, as cows are abducted by aliens (apparently), that both lights had been over the stream, in spots where deer would cross, or come out of the woods to drink, perhaps they had been after deer. I offer no explanation for what I saw, alien or not, I recount what I saw faithfully, and leave the cause open to interpretation. Tomorrow, my most singular ghostly encounter laid bare!

The Mysterious Comte De St.Germain!

Who was the msyterious gentleman pictured above, who styled himself the Comte De St.Germain? and besides his love for ostentatious jewellery and his command of several languages, what secret did he possesss that made him apparently ageless? For the Comte was not only an extremely knowledgable man with wisdom seemingly beyond the grasp of a mere mortal, but he also moved freely among the aristocracy of Europe for at least two centuries, while always maintaining the appearance of a man in his late forties. His first documented appearance was in 1700, and his last in 1896, which would have made him around 245.

The man is all the more remarkable for the information he imparted to certain individuals, for instance it is told that he had descibed locomotives, steamships and space travel. He was supected to be none other than Christian Rosenkreutz himself, and was said to possess the Elixir of Life. He himself claimed to be 4000 years old owing to his discovery of the Elixir of Life, and that he had gone under many guises throughout that time, but it's true that he had access to untold wealth, and his advice and company were sought by almost every European monarch.

You can decide for yourself whether the Comte was a charlatan, or if he did indeed possess the secret of eternal life. Perhaps other cirumstances contributed to his ability to live to an impossible age at a time when the average life expectancy was only 35 years of age. Who knows? But, it's certainly a compelling tale, that's for sure!

Disastrous Drive Crash to Report!

Quick post tonight, as I've been busy most of the day trying to recover my files after my "D" Drive crashed. Believe it or not, it's my first ever drive crash. The drive was OK, just inaccesible and I had to use a file recovery program to recover most of the files. Unfortunately I had masses of stuff on there, and only this morning I was pondering backing it all up to dvd.

Well, I got most of it back, and some of what was lost I can get again, but there was stuff that was virtually irreplacable, for instance I finally had a backup copy of The Beyond album "Crawl", which I have on vinyl, but as I haven't had a record player for years, wasn't much use to me. I only recently manged to acquire an audio copy with great difficulty, I might never be able to replace that, and other stuff too.

So, I had to reformat the drive and accept the inevitable. I'll just take it as a sign to be more cautious in future, as I had assumed (reasonably enough, I thought) that if a drive was to go, it would be the "C" Drive, because it has the system files on it, and those are the ones you expect to get damaged. Well, it just goes to show you, you can never be to complacent!